Supplier Roundtable: Guest Amenities

Hassan El Attar, Sales manager Middle East, Ada International General Trading LLC

Hassan has been working in the hospitality industry for almost 11 years. He joined Ada International General Trading LLC in 2015.

Reiner Kaltenbach, Partner, Hartmann Tresore Middle East

Reiner has worked as a partner with Hartmann Tresore Middle East since 2012. He acts as a supplier of high-quality safes for various industries as well as private households. Moreover, he offers competent support from the first non-binding consultation through to planning and implementation of after-sales service to luxury hotels such as Jumeirah, Sheraton, Hilton, Marriott, InterContinental, and Kempinski to name a few.

Jan Hellfritz, Managing director, Aliseo

Jan is the son of the founder of Aliseo, which began 30 years ago as a single-product garage company. Aliseo has since emerged to become a driving force in the designing, developing and manufacturing of globally inspired hotel amenities. With more than a million installations across six continents, Aliseo has managed to anticipate the future by combining technological advancements with inspiring designs.

Rachael Towl, regional sales manager Middle East, Sysco Guest Supply Middle East

Rachael is a British born marketing graduate who has been working in the Middle Eastern region for over two years. She has solid experience of working with personal care branded products, having worked within the category for over 10 years. She is thoroughly enjoying her current role with Sysco Guest Supply ME where she gets to work with hotels on their personal care amenity choices.

When was the company established and how many people are employed?

Hassan El Attar: Ada was established in 1979 in Germany. The company has just purchased the British manufacturer of hotel cosmetics Pacific Direct. There are now a total of 600 employees.

Reiner Kaltenbach: Hartmann Tresore Middle East LLC was established inthe UAE in 2012 and there are 110 employees worldwide with headquarters in Paderborn, Germany and branches around Europe and the Middle East.

Jan Hellfritz: Aliseo was established in 1985 and employs 75 people.

Rachael Towl: Sysco Guest Supply was founded in 1979 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Sysco Corporation, a publicly traded Fortune 500 company.

What are the latest trends in guest room amenities?

Hassan: The trend for prestigious retail brands is apparent so the property can offer a superior guest experience coupled with high-quality products. Also, concepts with a ‘green’ cosmetics series complement classical brands. The term ‘natural cosmetics’ is not explicitly defined or protected, which is why buyers usually tend to favour certified cosmetics and our firm offers cosmetics that have been certified by recognised ecological institutes.

Reiner: As well as being stylish and innovative, with products such as automated minibars and access-card-operated room safes, most hotels are now also focused on environmentally friendly products that decrease energy usage.

Rachael: Travellers’ interest in environmentally friendly holidays continues to grow and as a result, we have developed the Olive Branch Botanicals and Earth Tempo “Eco-Chic” guest collections. We are also proud to partner with brands such as Tara Smith & Korres to offer the consumer a natural product experience. In addition, we have partnered with Clean the World — a global recycling programme, and have a carbon offset initiative, providing our customers with a positive impact on the environment.

What is your best seller?

Hassan: That depends on the market. However, the four cosmetic lines of our Green Collection recorded an increase in sales, especially Naturals. Our 30ml ranges seem to appeal most, especially across standard rooms, whilst bigger sizes such as 50ml, 75ml or 100ml are mostly in demand from luxurious properties for use in their suites.

Reiner: Our bestselling product is our HS 420 series in-room safe, a middle segment product that comes with different size options and many features. Also our Peltier minibars are popular due to the long-term benefits of low power consumption.

Jan: Our best seller is Space Oasis — a mini-tray ensemble that combines water- and energy-saving functions within a contemporary, space-aware platform. It addresses both the environmental consciousness of the guest as well as the energy, water saving and space considerations of today’s hotelier.

Rachael: We have partnerships with some of the world’s leading brands, including Salvatore Ferragamo, Bulgari, Aromatherapy Associates and Korres. However, the best selling product format, no matter what the brand, is always shampoo and shower gel.

What new products have you launched recently?

Hassan: Ada was the first German company to launch a bodycare line made from fairly traded ingredients in 2012. Now, the series has been refined under the name FairCosmEthics and has been awarded the Fair Trade seal.

In partnership with Floris, British family perfumers since 1730, we’ve developed a range of elegant bottles recalling the classic Floris bottle shape and pleat-wrap soap, featuring the bestselling fragrance Cefiro. We’ve also launched the AnnickGoutal Luxury Hotel Collection modelled on the brand’s fragrance flacon, featuring the bestselling fragrance Eau d’Hadrien. Also, in order to offer customers an alternative to the AmouageDia fragrance, we’ve recently launched AmouageHonour, which is one of the brand’s bestselling fragrances.

In the Care Collection, ‘Be Different’ is our new product for people that enjoy a relaxed and authentic lifestyle. The colourful design looks young and active with casual slogans such as “Be fun”, “Be happy”, “Be smart” and “Be cool” as an inspiration to enjoy life.

Reiner: We recently launched two in-room safes Series HS 470. We also launched our new energy efficient minibar Series HTM, which not only has low energy consumption but is 100% noiseless.

Jan: Ivana is our newest product and is a collection of fashionable, faux-leather accoutrements that have been designed with sculptural and functional form to help streamline guestroom presentation.

Rachael: We are delighted to be working with the spa brand, Institut Karité Paris, launching their first ever guest collection, and recognised brand Crabtree & Evelyn launching two of their best-loved skincare lines; La Source and Jojoba.

What other news is there from your company?

Hassan: Our recent acquisition of Pacific Direct is the largest in the company’s history. Pacific Direct currently generates approximately a third of its revenue in Asia and the Near East, as well as another third in Great Britain and approximately 20% in the USA. The annual revenue of Ada’s global business is expected to increase to approximately €100 million (US $106.3 million) as a result.

Jan: Aliseo has relocated its corporate headquarters to a 4000m2 facility in Gengenbach, Germany. The new location will feature a 900m2 showroom, design studio and training centre. Together with the existing 8000m2 distribution centre, the Gengenbach location will become the epicentre for Aliseo Germany.

Reiner: We will soon come out with some innovative products such as drawer minibars and fingerprint in-room safes for the hotel industry. Apart from the products, and according to our vision, Hartmann Tresore has established an international key account department, which is solely responsible for the partnerships with international hotel chains. Furthermore, we are working on the extension of our export markets, which include the GCC region as well as Africa.

Rachael: Sysco Guest Supply has acquired Gilchrist & Soames, one of the leading independent personal care amenity providers to the hospitality industry. By introducing a new, premium luxury tier of hospitality offerings, we are pushing the envelope in terms of what Sysco Guest Supply can do for our customers.

What’s the main challenge for hoteliers when it comes to choosing amenities and how do you help overcome this?

Hassan: The greatest challenge is to find a selection that is tailored to, and satisfies the needs of, the hotel and the hotel’s guests. Ada has a highly qualified team of consultants, who are familiar with the inherent challenges; in addition, they have an extensive know-how regarding cosmetics and guest requirements.

Reiner: The main challenge is the after-sales service where hoteliers may need assistance with products later on — not every supplier offers that. Hartmann Tresore offers services to address this such as an expert technical team, up to two years warranty, and a spare-parts-service, even after the warranty expired.

Jan: Many hotels generically equip their guestroom with just ordinary, inexpensive “same old, same old” products that do little for the guest and even less for the hotelier. Aliseo tries to impress upon the hotelier the importance of design and the uniqueness of our products and how they serve to personalise and distinguish their hotel from another.

Rachael: A hotelier’s biggest challenge is to choose a suitable amenity solution that also appeals to their allocated budget. Sysco Guest Supply works with the hotelier to ensure that the brands/concepts suggested fit perfectly with the hotel profile and also offer a quality yet cost effective solution.